In connection with the operation of carton or case sealing machines, a knife blade guard or cover is usually operatively associated with the knife blade or cutting member which is normally utilized to cut or sever a trailing end portion of the carton or case sealing tape in order to form a rear end tab portion of the sealing tape which is adapted to, for example, be applied to the vertically oriented rear surface portion of the carton or case being sealed. Conventionally, such knife blade guards or covers are simply movable from first positions, at which the knife blade guards or covers enclose or cover the knife blades or cutting members, to second positions at which the knife blade guards or covers uncover or expose the knife blades or cutting members. Unfortunately, such conventional knife blade guards or covers are often accidentally or inadvertently moved to their open or uncovered positions whereby the knife blades or cutting members are exposed thereby leading to the accidental or unintentional cutting of operator or maintenance personnel.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved knife blade guard or cover locking mechanism wherein the knife blade guard or cover will be locked at its covered or enclosed position with respect to the knife blade or cutting member, and cannot be simply moved from its covered or enclosed position with respect to the knife blade or cutting member when a carton or case sealing operation is not being performed, and yet the knife blade guard or cover will be automatically unlocked so as to permit the same to be moved to an uncovered position so as to effectively expose the knife blade or cutting member in order to permit the knife blade or cutting member to perform its sealing tape cutting or severing operation during a carton or case sealing operation.